The first day

I've just been listening to a Crowded House song (written by Neil Finn and Tim Finn), "All I Ask", which seems very apt:

"All I ask
is to live each moment
free from the last..."

A beautifully simple way of expressing what is really a profound concept...



I'm sure you've experienced the feeling of carrying the weight of the world around on your shoulders - I think everyone has days like that. An accumulation of "stuff" from the past. When, of course, you don't need to be doing that! In truth, each moment is a fresh start. And if you choose to treat it as such, then you give yourself the opportunity to move through your daily life feeling much lighter and unencumbered.

So how do you do that? Well, there's a saying: "live each day as if it's your last", which is a way of reminding you to focus in on what really matters. But what if you were to try living each day as if it's your FIRST? Think about that for a moment... How would doing this affect how you approach all your daily activities? What might you do differently, if you looked at it with fresh eyes? What might you appreciate more, that you usually take for granted?

Why not try this for yourself, when you get up tomorrow? For me, it actually feels very liberating! I make a conscious effort to do this from time to time, just paying attention to what comes up for me on the day. Often it's the little things that strike me the most - what I usually barely even notice when I'm rushing around...

Things like... the colour and shape of a perfect pink rose in my garden... the fragrance and taste of a crisp green apple... a smile and wave from the elderly woman who lives down the street... the warmth of the sun on my face as I sit at a cafe drinking my morning coffee. The simple joy and beauty of everyday life.

Changing your life doesn't have to be about attracting in a whole lot of new things, or even doing things radically differently. It's about valuing what you do have and allowing the flow of life in - which is brimming with sweetness and magic, if you but open your eyes to see it...